LONGMONT --A 62-year-old Longmont woman is accused of stalking a Longmont police officer who serves as the school resource officer at Westview and Longs Peak middle schools.

The woman, Barbara Byers of the 700 block of Grandview Meadows Drive, was arrested Thursday and later released from jail on her own recognizance, meaning she did not have to post a monetary bond. She is due in court on Tuesday for filing of charges.

According to police, Byers has been calling, leaving messages for and sending packages to Officer Kathy Sanner since 2008 despite numerous requests and demands that she stop doing so.

A visit to Longs Peak Middle School on Thursday prompted her arrest, according to police.

Longs Peak principal Matt Buchler saw Byers exit a cab at about 12:15 p.m. Thursday, according to police. When he approached, she said she was there to see Sanner, then tried to say she was there to see a secretary, whom she could not name, police said.

Buchler wouldn't let Byers enter the building, reminding her she'd been told not to visit the school. Police arrived and arrested Byers.

Byers could not be reached for comment on Sunday evening.

Byers first approached Sanner in 2008 at the police department, according to the arrest report. She took Sanner a gift as a thanks for helping her with an employment matter.

Sanner had never before met Byers, police said. From that meeting through 2010, Byers called Sanner about 15 times, police said.

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In the fall of 2011, Byers reportedly began calling the schools where Sanner works and the office of the St. Vrain Valley School District superintendent, police said.

Although Sanner told Byers to stop calling her and giving her gifts, the frequency of calls increased when school started in the fall, police said.

On Aug. 28, Byers took a taxi to Westview Middle School to meet with Sanner, police said. Sanner told the woman it was not OK for her to visit a school.

In September, Sanner mailed back the gifts that Byers had given her. However, Byers never picked up the package and it was returned to the police department, according to the police report.

Also in September, Police Sgt. Doug Ross, who supervises the school resource officers, spoke with Byers, warning her that she'd be arrested for trespassing if she visited a school. Byers then began calling the schools and the superintendent's office, complaining that Ross was lying and corrupt, police said.

After Ross visited Byer's apartment again on Oct. 8, Byers left messages at the police department and other city offices with the same comments about Ross, police said.

A Google search of Byers' name turned up a dead link to a classified ad, posted Nov. 17, that read: I Want to Thank Kathy Sanner, Who Works Security in Longmont, for Being a Wonderful Person (sic). It's not clear where the ad was posted originally.

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